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Callyn Gonzalez: Make it more feasible for farms to transition to organic

Posted:
10/19/2017 10:03:12 PM MDT

Updated:
10/19/2017 10:25:34 PM MDT

Looking through the produce section of the grocery store, you come across many different labels. Organic, non-organic, local, imported; so many options with little background on what qualifies each label. The organic market is growing rapidly, but as the USDA standards for certification are increasing, a gap grows between the number of certified farms and the amount of produce required to meet the demand. What about the farmers without the capacity to achieve full certification?

It takes three full years of committing to organic practices before a farm can even file for USDA organic certification. Farms need to pay higher prices for organic seeds, change fertilizers, and transform their operations to fit the standards. These large upfront investments are made by farms without the advantage of selling their goods at the higher organic price to make it worthwhile.

While standards are important, especially in the food industry, the current system benefits larger operations over smaller ones. The rules in place are much more easily adopted if farms have the capacity to alter their operations to fit the USDA's standards. Rules like these make it much more daunting for smaller farms to even attempt a transition to organic. Three years of higher inputs without the price rise to match is a big risk to take for smaller operations.

Setting an official nationwide or statewide labeling system to show "transitioning organic" farms is where we need to begin. Some systems exist, but without a universal system, organic agriculture cannot keep up with the growing demand. We need to establish a system that makes it more attractive and feasible for all farms to transition. If we have a universal acknowledgment that transitioning farms exist, big and small farms alike will have the means to transition to organic with lower risk.

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